The Movie...Let the Right One In
SPOILERS GALORE….Only Continue Reading if You’ve Already Enjoyed the Film!! The movie’s great and if you’re a fan of foreign, horror, coming of age, or vampires, I suggest you check it out.
But what bothered me was the unstated, though very present, undercurrents of sexuality related to a 12-year-old vampire. There is a shot in the film that shows a close up of Eli’s frontal, unpantied body. NUDITY IN A 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL? REALLY? Is that ever appropriate, except if we’re catering to degenerates? Though I didn’t recognize it as such, one of my NFriends thought the shot shows a scar. Twice during the film, Eli says that she is not a girl and her comments might be referring to the fact that she’s dead. But is that true?
We know Eli is old, surely too old to have gone through any type of surgery while she was alive for a sex change or intersexual condition. But if it is indeed a scar, that’s where the package would have been. ALSO THERE’S THE ISSUE OF HER “FATHER,” who can’t possibly be, because he isn’t old enough. So, was he selected when he too was 11 years old? As a grown man, are we to assume that their relationship is platonic or paternal? If Oskar is the chosen “father” replacement, will she become his girlfriend as he grows older? Though her body is 12, this girl has been around for a while and I think there is another aspect to this story that is only hinted at.
Ok, the sexual parts of this speculation are icky, but as many people have already mentioned, this is a dark story and I’m interested in what the filmmakers were striving for…because I don’t believe a story of this nature (12-year-old-vicious-monster-when-she-needs-to-be) would not dare to tread on such slippery, possibly tabooed, slopes. Or maybe I’m the degenerate, seeing sexual situations where none exist. Even if it’s to tell me I’m full of crap, what do YOU think?
But what bothered me was the unstated, though very present, undercurrents of sexuality related to a 12-year-old vampire. There is a shot in the film that shows a close up of Eli’s frontal, unpantied body. NUDITY IN A 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL? REALLY? Is that ever appropriate, except if we’re catering to degenerates? Though I didn’t recognize it as such, one of my NFriends thought the shot shows a scar. Twice during the film, Eli says that she is not a girl and her comments might be referring to the fact that she’s dead. But is that true?
We know Eli is old, surely too old to have gone through any type of surgery while she was alive for a sex change or intersexual condition. But if it is indeed a scar, that’s where the package would have been. ALSO THERE’S THE ISSUE OF HER “FATHER,” who can’t possibly be, because he isn’t old enough. So, was he selected when he too was 11 years old? As a grown man, are we to assume that their relationship is platonic or paternal? If Oskar is the chosen “father” replacement, will she become his girlfriend as he grows older? Though her body is 12, this girl has been around for a while and I think there is another aspect to this story that is only hinted at.
Ok, the sexual parts of this speculation are icky, but as many people have already mentioned, this is a dark story and I’m interested in what the filmmakers were striving for…because I don’t believe a story of this nature (12-year-old-vicious-monster-when-she-needs-to-be) would not dare to tread on such slippery, possibly tabooed, slopes. Or maybe I’m the degenerate, seeing sexual situations where none exist. Even if it’s to tell me I’m full of crap, what do YOU think?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Donna Loves Movies on -
That's interesting, and it explains some of the differences between the film and the feel of the book, which is much darker and curious.
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Permalink Reply by thatboy on -
ARRRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!
That really pisses me off. I'm not at all convinced they did this to save money, rather than just assuming (possibly correctly) idiot American audiences would want less to read.
Glad I saw it n the theater instead of waiting for the DVD.
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Permalink Reply by e manderthal on -
Yes, it's unfortunate. Superb subtitles are always a plus!
On the other hand, the quality of the subtitles, or the lack of said quality, has never stopped me from watching a foreign flick. It's all part of the territory.
I said it before and I'm saying it now: everyone needs to watch Tombs of the Blind Dead in dubbed mode with subtitles playing at the same time. Now we're talking!
And while we're at it, those damned Scots need to step it up in the subtitle department.
Ever seen an early Ken Loach movie without them? Half the fun was trying to figure out what they were talking about.
Hallelujah for dvd's. And any subtitles at all.
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Permalink Reply by Guy on -
everyone needs to watch Tombs of the Blind Dead in dubbed mode with subtitles playing at the same time.
I did that very thing and muchly revealed were unintentional subtleties of subtexts in the subtitles.
Woe unto them who watch Super Inframan in the original Cantonese when the absurd gooey richness of the English dubbing is so much better.
The possibilities of DVD technology with multiple layers of interactive dubbed soundtracks and subtitles have scarcely begun to be explored.
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Permalink Reply by Pihk on -
the absurd gooey richness of the English dubbing
That's a whole other thread...LOL
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Permalink Reply by thatboy on
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everyone needs to watch Tombs of the Blind Dead in dubbed mode with subtitles playing at the same time.
Likewise for Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky.
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Permalink Reply by Pihk on
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On the other hand, the quality of the subtitles, or the lack of said quality, has never stopped me from watching a foreign flick. It's all part of the territory.
This is true and I have definitely experienced some piss poor subtitles ( one German DVD of an Italian giallo felt like they took the German trnaslation and shoved it through Babel...LOL) throughout my Eurocult adventures, but in the case of LTROI, they already had subtitles and they went through the trouble and expense of rewriting them and made them worse in the process!!
In my mind, this is worse than pan&scan because it's not obvious unless you speak the language that something is amiss. I was all set to watch this flick tonight but just removed it from my Q.
Now I'll have to dl some good ole traditional American kiddie porn. At least I speak American so I'll get all the nuance and pathos.
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Permalink Reply by Tommy on -
i haven't seen this yet, but didn't they re-release the DVD with the theatrical subtitles as an option?
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Permalink Reply by The Continental on -
i haven't seen this yet, but didn't they re-release the DVD with the theatrical subtitles as an option?
Don't think so , I wasn't aware of the sub title hubub till i read this thread, but I still enjoyed the movie , even with turnacated or altered sub's
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Permalink Reply by Pihk on
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but didn't they re-release the DVD with the theatrical subtitles as an option?
Official statement from the distro:
"We've been made aware that there are several fans that don't like the version of the subtitles on the DVD/BR. We had an alternate translation that we went with. Obviously a lot of fans thought we should have stuck with the original theatrical version. We are listening to the fans feedback, and going forward we will be manufacturing the discs with the subtitles from the theatrical version."
(From The Digital Bits:) We asked Magnet some follow-up questions, specifically how people will be able to identify the new discs, when they'll be available in stores and if there will be an exchange program for those who have the existing version. Here's what they said:
"There are no exchanges. We are going to make an alternate version available however. For those that wish to purchase a version with the theatrical subtitles, it will be called out in the tech specs box at the back/bottom of the package where it will list SUBTITLES: ENGLISH (Theatrical), SPANISH."
I'm glad they were responsive to complaints but in terms of Netflix, I doubt they will upgrade since there is no exchange program. :(
The larger point of why some American distro's go through the extra expense and trouble of altering foreign movies for domestic consumption remains unaddressed. This isn't an isolated example because Haute Tension/Lion's Gate immediately springs to mind. I'm sure there are other examples.
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Permalink Reply by The Continental on
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Pihk Thanks for that, thats good news as there seems are allot of folks out there that appreciated this movie well enough to buy and add it to their collection, " if it's released in the film makers original form. I also didn't realize Haute Tension had a similar situation.
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